Big West bid beckons

The UC Irvine women’s basketball team clinched a berth in next week’s

Big West Conference tournament while dooming Cal Poly San Luis

Obispo’s postseason hopes with a 79-65 victory over the host Mustangs

Saturday night.

UCI (7-20, 6-12 in the Big West) finished tied with Cal State

Fullerton for seventh -- the top eight teams advance -- but the

Anteaters have the tiebreaker. UCI, the seventh seed, will face

sixth-seeded Utah State in the first round at the Anaheim Convention

Center Wednesday. UCI’s game will begin 30 minutes after the

conclusion of Fullerton and UC Riverside’s game, which starts at

noon.

Against the Mustangs, UCI went on a 13-0 second-half run, capped

by three-pointers from Haley Tull and Angie Ned to forge a 60-47 lead

with 7 minutes, 22 seconds left. Cal Poly (11-16, 5-13), which finished ninth in the conference, never came closer to 10 points the

rest of the way.

Ned finished with a game-high 25 points while Tull added 20 points

on 6-of-8 shooting while sinking all four of her three-point

attempts. Melissa Jacob added 13 points while Ashley Biggins grabbed

10 rebounds for the ‘Eaters, who shot 45% from the field (22 of 49).

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 79

Cal Poly 65

UC Irvine -- Ned 25, Yadon 2, Biggins 5, Mai 6, Jacob 13, Forry 0,

Tull 20, Martin 4, Usher 4.

3-pt. goals -- Ned 3, Jacob 1, Tull 4.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Cal Poly -- Cameron 10, Givens-Davis 7, Paterson 4, Anderson 2,

Wittstrom 13, Howell 2, Dooley 0, Ravn 1, Yarwasky 0, Newman 6,

Grieve 10, Eggleston 10, Henke 0.

3-pt. goals -- Cameron 2.

Fouled out -- Anderson.

Technicals -- Anderson, Givens-Davis.

Halftime -- UC Irvine, 33-32.

UC Irvine sweeps series

* BASEBALL: Catcher Mark Wagner went 5 for 5 with three RBIs to

lead the host UC Irvine baseball team to a 7-2 nonconference victory

and a three-game sweep over Dallas Baptist with Saturday’s win.

The Anteaters (9-6) combined for 15 hits, including five doubles,

a day after tallying one hit.

Starter Nash Robertson tallied his first win this season after

striking out four and scattering four hits in three scoreless

innings. Michael Koehler, Steve Schroer and Bryan Peterson combined

to hold Dallas Baptist (7-8) at bay the final six innings.

Wagner drove in the first run of the game with a double in the top

of the first to score outfielder Danny Miramontes. UCI extended its

lead in the bottom of the fourth with three doubles and a single to

score three runs.

Following a one-run fifth for UCI, Matt Anderson and Wagner each

had RBI hits in the sixth to cap the scoring for the Anteaters.

Miramontes was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored while

Anderson hit 2 for 5 with an RBI. Brett Dalton also sparked the UCI

offense, hitting 2 for 4 and scoring twice.

Mesa improves to 2-0

* BASEBALL: The Costa Mesa High baseball team won its second

straight game following an 8-7, eight-inning victory against visiting

Schurr Saturday in the Newport Elks tournament.

Senior Ryan Szwast hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning

to tie the game at 7. Szwast also pitched the seventh and eighth

innings, allowing two runs and four hits to receive the win. Senior

Jeff Waldron hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, bringing in

Dylan Hunter to put the Mustangs (2-0) in tying position.

Costa Mesa visits Los Amigos at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Newport Elks tournament

Costa Mesa 8,

Schurr 7

Score by Innings

*--*

Schurr 2 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 - 7 11 2

Mesa 1 0 0 0 2 0 4 1 - 8 9 2

*--*

Garcia, Smith (6) and Sanchez; Morton, Mendez (3), Sanford (3),

Szwast (6). W -- Szwast, 1-0. L -- Smith, 0-1. 2B -- Pisarski (CM) 2.

HR -- Szwazst 1.

Clear tosses shutout

* BASEBALL: Sophomore Ryan Clear stuck out five in tossing a

five-hit shutout to help the host Orange Coast College baseball team

snap a four-game losing streak with an 11-0 Orange Empire Conference

victory over Riverside Saturday.

Clear (3-0) walked two in his first complete game this season

while third baseman Gary Gattis went 4 for 5 with two runs and two

RBIs for the Pirates (7-7, 1-1 in the OEC).

Josh Banda and Stephen Schneider both homered while Matt Cline,

Robbie Blauer and Steven Lajkowicz all tallied two hits for Coast.

Clear has fanned 18 while walking only five in 25 innings.

‘Eaters sweep Cal Poly

* TENNIS: UC Irvine’s Victor Lamm lost just three singles games

while teammate Olof Sjolund earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory to help the

host Anteaters record a 7-0 Big West Conference men’s tennis win over

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Saturday.

Brian Morton and Rye Kashiwabara, along with the duo of Peter

Surapol and Aaron Ellis, each won their doubles matches, helping the

Anteaters (5-6) claim the doubles point.

UCI swept all six singles sets.

CdM streak ends

* BASEBALL: The visiting Orange Lutheran baseball team jumped to a

6-0 lead after two innings and held on to snap Corona del Mar High’s

18-game winning streak dating to last year with a 9-4 victory in pool

play of the Newport Elks tournament Saturday.

La Habra sent the Sea Kings (1-1), the defending CIF Southern

Section Division IV champions, to their last loss April 5, 2004, with

a 4-1 decision.

CdM, which used six pitchers, cut the Lancers’ lead to 6-3 with

three runs in the fourth inning, keyed by a two-run single by Tyler

Ray. The Lancers (2-0), however, scored three runs in the final two

innings to pull away.

Shaun Mohler faced the minimum in striking out four in three

innings of relief while Wess Presson and Jake Lemmerman each went 2

for 4 with an RBI and run scored.

CdM junior Nick Peterson doubled for his first varsity hit in the

seventh and scored on Lemmerman’s single.

Newport Elks tournament

Pool play

Orange Lutheran 9,

Corona del Mar 4

Score by Innings

*--*

O.L. 5 1 0 0 0 2 1 - 9 7 2

CdM 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 - 4 9 2

*--*

Waslund, Dese (6) and Grubb ; Maggard, Cabin (2), Mohler (3),

Riddles (6), Elliott (6), Harper (7) and Williamson. W -- Waslund. L

-- Maggard, 0-1. 2B -- Presson (CdM), Peterson (CdM). HR -- Grubb

(OL), Rohr (OL).

Sailors start strong

* SOFTBALL: Newport Harbor High’s softball team opened its season

with two victories Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the

Cypress tournament at Cypress Arnold Park.

Senior Ashley Gleason struck out 13 and allowed three hits to pick

up the win in the Sailors’ 2-1 victory over Ocean View in the first

game. Freshman Jane Messersmith tallied her first varsity win after

fanning nine and walking two in a 4-2 triumph over Fullerton.

The Sailors face St. Joseph’s in a semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Messersmith added two RBIs while Gleason went 2 for 4 with an RBI

against Fullerton.

Sea Kings split pair

* SOFTBALL: Corona del Mar High’s softball team opened its season

with a split in two games Saturday in the 32-team Downey tournament

at South Gate Park in South Gate.

Sophomore Holly Van Hiel went 3 for 3 with two singles and a

double while scoring twice and adding an RBI in a 3-1 victory over

Westchester in the first game. Kaitlin Krumpotich then no-hit the Sea

Kings, striking out four while walking two in Laguna Hills’ 5-0

victory in the second game. CdM committed three errors.

The Sea Kings return to tournament action at 3 p.m. Saturday

against an opponent to be determined.

Sophomore Michelle Tolfa struck out three and walked none in

tossing a two-hitter against Westchester. Allie Duernberger went 2

for 3 with two RBIs while Heather Lohrman finished 1 for 2 with a

stolen base and run scored in the first game.

CdM, on the heels of the program’s first CIF playoff victory last

season, faces nonleague host Mission Viejo at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Downey tournament

Game 1

Corona del Mar 3,

Westchester 1

Score by Innings

*--*

CdM 0 0 1 0 2 - 3 6 1

West. 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 2 2

*--*

Tolfa and Schulte; Hodrick and Hawkins. W -- Tolfa, 1-0. L --

Hodrick. 2B -- Van Hiel (CdM).

Game 2

Laguna Hills 5,

Corona del Mar 0

Score by Innings

*--*

LH 2 0 1 0 2 0 - 5 6 1

CdM 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 3

*--*

Tolfa and Schulte; Krumpotich and Eliades. W -- Morese. L --

Tolfa,1-1. HR -- La Strapes (LH).

Barnes leads UCI men

* TRACK AND FIELD: Junior Ricky Barnes won both the 1,500- and

5,000-meter races to lead the UC Irvine men’s track and field team to

the All-Cal Challenge Cup title at Anteater Stadium Saturday.

The UCI women placed third.

Barnes won the 1,500 in 3:54.34 and the 5,000 in 14:35.21. Other

UCI winners were Elias Moreno in the 100 (11.03), Dayne Comrie in the

400 (47.93), Kenny Vinh in the 110 high hurdles (14.84) and Jon

Wratten in the high jump (6 feet, 8 3/4 inches).

The Anteaters finished with 259 points, while UC Santa Barbara

placed second with 237 1/2 .

In the women’s competition, UCI senior Kim Ramirez won the 1,500

in 4:31.06 and finished second in the 800 (2:15.07). Kirsten Loftin

won the pole vault with a mark of 12 feet.

UC Santa Barbara won the women’s team title with 263 points, while

UCI tallied 163 1/2 .

UCI competes in the Ben Brown Invitational at Cal State Fullerton

Saturday.

Vanguard goes 1-1

* SOFTBALL: Jennifer Olvera struck out five and allowed two runs

in five innings to notch her first victory this season as the

Vanguard University softball team split its doubleheader to begin

Golden State Athletic Conference play Saturday.

Lindsey Emmel didn’t allow a hit in two scoreless innings of

relief for her first collegiate save as the Lions (3-7, 1-1 in the

GSAC) earned a 6-2 victory in the first game. Point Loma (17-3, 1-1)

held on for a 6-4 win in Game 2.

Ashley Mauro drove in four runs and Rachel Bomgren added two RBIs

in the first game. Bomgren, Mauro and Melissa Benson all tallied two

hits.

Point Loma scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take

a 6-0 lead in the second game. The Lions scored four runs in the

final two innings to close the gap. Benson and Heather Durham tallied

RBI doubles in Vanguard’s three-run sixth.